Game apparatus



April 9, 1935. v A. WEINBERG 1,996,986

GAME APPARATUS Filed May 15, 1952 E. I I i [1 f n n (jg ff en/ware I I GUM-WM;

Patented Apr. 9, 1935 PATENT OFFICE s GAME APPARATUS Alexander Weinberg, New York, Y. Application May 13, 1932, Serial No. 611,184

- 4 Claims.

My invention relates to game apparatus and my object is to provide means for playing a game which will involve the elements of skill of the player as well as chance and will make an appeal to grown-ups as well as children and which in its simplest form may be made very inexpensively, it being advantageously manufactured of inexpensive sheet material, such as cardboard or corrugated paper. I

The type of game in which my invention is embodied in one using a board with a collection of pockets having different score values with which amissile such as arubber ball is used by being tossed or pitched with the aim of lodgment in some one of the pockets.

My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of game apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the board in position for use;

Fig.3 is a .detail view in cross-section through one of the cups; I v I Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the form of the blanks out of which the three constituent parts of the apparatus may be made of cardboard or corrugated paper. h The embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing set up for use, comprises a game board that rests upon the floor or other supporting surface and stands at an angle or incline from the supporting surface upward away from the player and includes a central, rectangular or oblong fiat field H), with pockets ll, spaced apart upon its ball-receiving surface, a comparatively narrow oblong wing 12, at each side that reaches from bottom to top of the large center field and inclines outwardly and forwardly therefrom at preferably an obtuse angle and a horizontally extending straight top 13, that also inclines upward and forward from the top edge of the center field and extends between the tops of the wings so that there are four flat surfaces adapted to be struck by the ball and its direction affected or changed by reason of the angle or inclination of these surfaces with reference to one another, and each of the wings also has one or more ballreceiving cups similar to those upon the center field. The score value of the wing cups is greater than the high score value of the center field cups because of the greater difiiculties in the way of lodging the ball in the wing cups.

The board is supported easel-like at an incline by a leg 14, that extends from the back of the center piece near the top downward at an incline and is engaged near its lower end by a brace l5, that extends rearward from the back.

Referring to Fig. 4, the center field and side wings are made integral parts of a blank A, whose top and side edges are straight and are at right angles and at the point of junction of the side Wings and the center field, there is a straight line of weakness, a, parallel with the straight side edge of the wing upon which the wings may be folded to position and the top edge of each wing is oblique and each such top edge has a tab b, and the center field Whose top edge is straight and parallel with the bottom, has a tab c,.these three tabs being for engagement with corresponding slits in the blank b, that constitute the inclined top of the board and thereby the two blanks which form these members of the board are held in fixed relation either by depending upon the folding down of the tabs, or by the spring force which the sheet material normally or naturally exerts.

Referring to Fig. 4, the blank D, from which the cups are made, may be roughly described as T-shape and made of cardboard with some spring or elasticity and having at the bottom of the stem of the T, a tab e, and at the outer end of each arm of the T, a tab ,1, these three tabs being insertable in as many corresponding slits g in the center piece and wings of the blank A, two of these slits being vertical and parallel and the third being below the others and at right angles thereto. The opposite arms of the T extend downward and outward from the stem, and the blank is bent in substantially a half circle to bring the arms towards each other and close enough for the insertion of their respective tabs in the properslits g, and the tab e of the stem inits slit, sufficienttension being produced to assure the retention of the cup blank in cupforming position. The cup thus has an open top with closed opposite sides and bottom and a front wall that extends from the upper edge at anincline downward and inward towards the fiat ball impact receiving surface from which it projects.

The board supporting leg l4 and its brace I5, may be made of cardboard strips pasted or glued at one end to the back of the center field, and brace and leg interlocking as by means of a tab on the free end of the brace and a slit in the leg through which it passes.

As shown in Fig. 1, the missile used is a rubber ball IE, which is thrown towards the board by the player standing sufiiciently far from the board to cause the ball to drop on the floor or supporting surface a short distance in front of the board so that it will bounce towards the cup-supporting surfaces of the board.

By reason of the angles of inclination of the ball-receiving board with reference to the surface on which it rests and with reference to one another and the sides of the pockets, it will be seen that the movements of the ball striking the board will be erratic and uncertain and ricochets caused which will make it uncertain whether the ball will lodge in a pocket, or if it does lodge in a pocket in which one it will fall. The inclination of the front walls of the pockets is also a factor introducing an element of uncertainty because a ball lodging in a pocketby reasonof that Y inclination may jump out and either lodge in another pocket or fall on the 'unpocketed'surface of the board.

An important advantage of the particular embodiment of my invention shown is that for packing for shipment and storage, the board and all its parts, including the pockets, may be folded down or collapsed into a fiat condition, the side wings being turned over upon the central field, the top laid thereon and the pockets also laid thereon. Yet assemblage for use is easily and quickly done.

In some embodiments of my invention the top piece might be made integral with the central field and side wings, but I prefer the top piece made separate, because there is a distinct advantage for packing or storage in that with the top an over upon the central field, the ends of the top would project beyond the sidesand not only present an awkward construction for packing but would add that much to the width'of the package.

The top as a separate piece can be laid lengthwise of the central field and thus be within the limits of the'sides of the collapsed article.

While, of course, I do not limit myself to any particular trade name for my game, yet I have adopted and used as an attractive trade name the work Skoops. Such name, as shown in the drawing, may advantageously be applied to the face of the top piece.

Obviously my game apparatus can be used as a social game in which a number of players will participate and a quantity of balls will be provided so that a number of balls may be used successively by each player, or each player may be permitted to use only one ball.

What I claim is:

1. Game apparatus for use with a missile comprising a board with missile-receiving pockets, the board havinga rectangular central field, and means for supporting such field at an incline and said board having at opposite sides outwardly flaring wings, said wings having missile-receiving pockets.

2. Game apparatus for use with a missile comprising a board and missile-receiving pockets, said pockets having three arms each terminating in a tab and, respectively, engaging slits in the board that extend cross-wise of one another two of such arms forming the opposite sides of a pocket and spaced to provide a missile entering mouth at the top of the pocket and the third arm providing the bottom of the pocket.

3. Blanks for a game board made of sheet material and including one blank with a bottom edge and opposite side edges at right angles, the blank having straight lines of weakness for folding at two points parallel with the side edges, the top edge of the blank having an edge extending between the lines of weakness and an oblique edge extending outwardly therefrom, tabs being provided at the top edge of said blank, a second blank comprising a strip with slits to engage said tabs and a third blank substantially of T shape with opposite arms of the T inclining from the stem of the T at the top and the extremities of the arms and the stem at the bottom having tabs, said first-mentioned blank having slits in angular relation to receive such tabs of the third blank.

4. Game apparatus for use with a spherical ball-form missile of sufficient elasticity to bound from a surface to which it may be thrown towards a receiving board and comprising such a ball and a board with a flat missile-receiving surface with missile-receiving pockets fixed thereto at different heights over the face of the board, the pockets at different heights being out of alinement vertically, each such pocket comprising a Wall-forming member of bendable sheet material that terminates in an edge that is attached to the board and said member being bowed outwardly from said edge, and presenting front and side wall ball-contacting surfaces that face in different directions, and said member providing a ball-receiving space closed at the rear by the board surface lying within such edge and closed at the front, sides and bottom by said wall-forming member, the inner and outer surfaces of the latter extending at anincline inwardly with reference to saidboard surface, forming an upwardly flaring opening at the top into which the ball may pass, said pockets being spaced apart to expose the board surface between them for contact with the ball, and means at the back of the board that support it with its ballreceiving front face at an incline upwardly and rearwardly, said front face constituting a surface over which the ball may move downwardly in the spaces between the pockets and into pockets in its path. ALEXANDER WEINBERG. 

